This view was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by Colonel Markus Reisner of the Austrian Armed Forces, head of the Officer Training Institute at the Theresian Military Academy.

“In my opinion, by refocusing on Ukraine, Trump is trying to achieve results through a two-pronged approach, on the one hand, putting pressure on Russia by supporting Ukraine, and on the other, possibly putting pressure on Ukraine itself,” Reisner said.

He noted that the U.S. could supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles in the coming months to bridge the capability gap until licensed production begins temporarily. Still, such deliveries are not currently on the table.

In this regard, the expert did not rule out that the Trump administration might seek to maintain a situation in which Russian pressure on Ukraine continues, to force both sides to the negotiating table.

“It seems as though Trump wants to keep open the option of maintaining Russian pressure on Ukraine so that both sides are effectively forced to the negotiating table,” Reisner said.

At the same time, he emphasized that this is merely his assumption.

“But that’s exactly the question that comes to mind when I hear that licensed production is possible but will take time. Then I ask myself: What will happen in the meantime?” the expert said.

Reisner emphasized that it is critically important for Ukraine to obtain additional air defense capabilities as quickly as possible, since there is little time left before the new winter campaign of Russian strikes.

“It is extremely important that this happen quickly. Ukraine has very little time—this must be stated clearly. Strategic-depth air defense is its Achilles’ heel. Added to this are devastating strikes with guided bombs at the operational-tactical level,” he stressed.

The military expert noted that Ukrainian air defense successfully shoots down 80–90% of Russian Geran-2 and Geran-3 drones, but Russia already has new, faster models equipped with rocket engines. “Added to this are ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which pose a serious threat. For these weapons systems, the interception rates have not improved as much as we would like to believe,” the expert said.

He also cautioned that a joint European missile defense project would only be meaningful for Ukraine if it yielded rapid, tangible results.

“If the Europeans are talking about a joint project, it can only be successful if it yields concrete results in a short time. If this turns out to be yet another project that takes years to develop without any results, it will be too late for Ukraine,” Reisner emphasized.

Read also:Poland proposes US to jointly produce Patriot missiles with Ukraine

As reported by Ukrinform, acting Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara called on U.S. partners to expedite the delivery of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense systems, which are necessary to counter Russian ballistic missiles.

Photo: UK in Austria